Victoria Goss passed along words of wisdom that helped create the foundation that Bella Run Equine was built upon. As someone that pulled her first horse from a kill pen in 1985, Victoria Goss took Bella Run Equine co-founder, Rachel Bendler, to her first slaughter sale. She drilled into Rachel's brain that if a rescue were to survive, wise choices must be made, and every penny must be micromanaged and used responsibly. Among traders and dealers masquerading as "rescues", Rachel saw a need to speak up for the horses that are overlooked while being someone that potential adopters could rely on. She committed to pulling these slaughter-bound horses responsibly... the right way.

Zack and Rachel started saving horses from kill auctions together, rehabilitating them, and finding them homes. One by one, Zack and Rachel would work with their own money. Once the ball was rolling with this team, there were three horses at a time, then five, then ten. Eventually, people were returning to adopt a second or third horse, and their reputation as honest, thorough horsemen was growing. Because the funding for this program for years came solely from Zack and Rachel, they learned quickly that EVERY PENNY MATTERS and that wise decisions must be made. That micromanaging of resources is one of the reasons that Bella Run Equine is able to function today.

After years of pulling horses as a team, there was much encouragement from many. The decision was finally made to "make it official". While many others had been telling them to do it, world-renowned clinician Stacy Westfall gave the final motivation (aka "kick in the butt") for becoming a 501(c)3 organization. After accompanying them to the sale (and sponsoring a horse), she told Zack and Rachel, "You guys aren't a flash in the pan. You're doing this right." Bella Run Equine acquired their 501(c)3 non-profit organization status in May of 2015.